A strangers effect
by mindofgeekness
Summary: Originally a prompt fill...that got a life of it's own. A story of Kaidan and Miranda. They meet between ME1 & 2 and collide in an evening of heated lust…but what will the effects of the stranger be on Kaidan? Will he be able to find a new direction with Miranda and move past his memories of Shepard? Some of this is NSFW...just so you know!
1. Chapter 1

He drained his glass and motioned for another.

The barman poured a short and left him.

He looked at his watch again. She was now nearly 40 minutes late. What was he doing? Really? The last date he'd let his friends set him up with had been a complete bust.

It had been dinner with a perfectly nice woman, a doctor in fact. There had been good food, wine, music. But that's all. It was a nice evening, with a nice woman.

Just not_ his_ kind of woman. He liked women a little more adventurous than she had been.

So he'd agreed for his friends to put a profile on a extranet dating service, to find him _his_ kind of woman. Not just to shut them up but to save himself from insanity.

Two years ago, he'd lost the only woman he'd ever wanted.

It had taken most of that time to start to move on with his life, come out of his self imposed hibernation and join the real world again.

He was _finally_ willing to move on. He was tired of feeling secluded; tired of mourning. He knew it was no way to carry on.  
It was a half life he was living; waiting for someone that was never coming back. He hated the idea but he had to learn to let her go. He _had_ to move on. And he'd figured that dating was probably the first step towards that.

He snorted to himself and drained his glass, motioning once again to the barman. This time he took the bottle from him and shooed him away.

He heard a cough behind him and turned.

She was dressed in a black knee length skirt that clung to her thighs and a crisp white shirt tucked in at her slim waist. She was quite striking, and nothing at all like he had imagined.  
Her dark hair framed her face and cascaded over her shoulders. Her lips were full, pink and luscious looking.  
Instantly, he felt something stir in him that he hadn't felt for a very long time…he wanted to bite those lips.

"So, are you going to ask me to join you?"

He shook himself out of his musing before he sank any deeper. "I ahh- What?" He'd lost his train of thought and felt like a bumbling idiot.

"I'm LawBringer. You must be LT?" she sat the stool next to him, clearly used to men turning into drooling idiots around her.

"Sorry I'm late, the taxi got delayed" she sighed and composed herself, "anyway, I'm here now. And in good time I think" she picked up the bottle and waved it to the barman who quickly brought over another bottle and a glass for her.

He poured them a drink, "it's alright, really, you don't need to apologise" he smiled.

"That's very sweet of you, I'm just…I'm_ always_ on time" she seemed annoyed which didn't fit with her easy Australian accent.

"I'm sorry" she took a deep breath, "I don't do this very often. I, ahh, I find it hard to meet a guy I have any interest in."

He raised his eyebrows, "that's…blunt, but thanks, I guess."

She looked at him sideways and something passed between them. A mutual attraction perhaps? He was unsure of the signs these days.

Her eyes shone in the blue laser lights of the club and she bit down on her lip. His breath caught in a completely reflex reaction that surprised him.

There was something about her. She had an aura of self confidence, power. He liked it.

"Look LT, I'm not going to dance around, I simply don't have the time or patience. If you like what you see we can do something about it. If not, then don't waste my time and just tell me. I'm a big girl, I won't be offended" she downed her drink and poured another.

"Hell, you really are blunt, huh?" he choked a little on his drink and looked at her.

She had amazing posture; holding herself in such a way that accentuated her lithe figure. She played with her collar, dancing her fingers lightly across her skin…an obvious nervous reaction, hiding behind the 'big girl' front. Thoughts of his teeth biting that skin crept into his mind…

From a purely physical point of view…she was perfect. It was as if she'd been designed to lure men into the pull of those plump lips…

"I…like what I see" he said quietly, taking himself by surprise.

He met her gaze and she smiled triumphantly.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, taking in the situation, enjoying their drinks.

He watched her lips on her glass and again felt a pull inside him. A pull he hadn't felt in such a long time, that it was almost alien.

His mind wandered…to her lips on his, her skin next to his…

"Guys usually…" she chuckled breaking the silence, "well, they get intimidated by me I guess. I can be…"

"Brutally blunt? A little forward?" he snickered at her. She didn't intimidate him, she perplexed him, but intimidate? No. But then he didn't know a single thing about her. Not even her name. According to his friends she was a 'professional leader', whatever that meant, who wanted 'companionship while on shore leave'. Everything else was a mystery.

"It's a big turn off I guess, a dominant female…" she shook her head, "I like control of my life and I don't see a problem with that. But, well, a girl needs a man every now and then, you know?"

When she looked at him her eyes flashed, a sign of Biotics. That look found his dormant lust, and it flared.

All memories from the past two years vanished, all the pain, all the anger…it all took a backseat to the hunger he needed to feed right now.

He finished his drink and stood up, acting now before his senses returned.

"Are you leaving?" she asked confusedly.

"_We're_ leaving. Where are you staying?" he offered his hand to her, she looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled so wickedly he felt his insides burn.

"Sol, near the Alliance docks, you know it?" she took his hand.

"I know it" he lead her out of the club and headed for the taxi stand.

The ride back to the hotel felt incredibly long. His head swam from the drink mixed with her perfume and the blue flash he saw in her eyes…she was intoxicating.

Her legs were slender and pressed up against his even in the vast space of the air car. He checked the drivers attention was on the sky and not on his passengers before sliding his hand over the silky material of her skirt and down her thigh.

He heard her breath hitch and smiled to himself, keeping his gaze on her legs, savouring her bare skin under his palm. Carefully he slipped his hand under the hem of her skirt and squeezed tightly making her jerk in her seat. She let out a deep sigh but didn't make any attempt to stop him.

It had been a long time since he'd had such lustful feelings. And right now, for the first time in years, all he could think of was sating that lust. All he could to focus on was her…her skin, her lips, her willingness to let him take control…

As the door to the elevator closed he pushed her back against the wall and licked his tongue up her neck, digging his teeth into her earlobe, she groaned but didn't stop him…

His teeth moved down her neck, nipping at her, his tongue flicking over the bite marks he left on her alabaster skin. The doors opened and he straightened up looking at her, eyes full of fire, "five" she gasped, letting him know which room he was taking her to. He grabbed her hand and lead her out, quickly locating her room.

She pulled up her Omni and punched in the entry code.

He stood flush against her back, his hands cupped the side of her breasts and ran down her sides, his hips pushed into her, crushing his now full erection against her buttocks. The door flew open and he pushed her through kicking the door closed behind them.

He stalked her, pulling his jacket off as he approached. Her eyes never left his gaze and she bit down on her lip with a look of pure want…

She backed into a pillar, her chest heaving. He grabbed hold of her, pushing her skirt up to bunch around her waist before picking her up and holding her against the pillar.

Their lips met in deep, desperate kisses and her legs wrapped tightly around him. Her hands ran over his muscular shoulders, nails digging into him, pulling him closer.

His hand ran up the underside of her thigh and he pulled unceremoniously at her panties, ripping them to gain access to her core. His thumb ran over her wetness and hit her nub pressing down, he felt her groan into his mouth. He gently swept over her nub again and again till he felt her legs shaking around him, groans falling from her luscious lips…

He released his built up Biotics into a field, holding her prisoner against the pillar and relinquished his grip on her. He unfastened her shirt pulling it off and discarding it. She watched him with the look of a hungry predator that had no method of hunting, a flare of blue emanated from her mixing with his.

He shook his head, "uh-uh". She ceded and settled for clenching her thighs tight around him.

His attention turned to her underwear, releasing it's clasp and tugging it down her arms. His hot mouth enveloped her nipple before it touched the floor.

His Biotics faded as he hungrily sucked at her nipple, kneading her buttocks as he held her in place. Her fingers raked up his back into his hair and knotted together, keeping his head close to her chest.

Again his thumb found her soft sweet nub and pressed, "fuuuuck" she hissed into the quiet room and pulled his head up, forcing his lips to meet with hers. His teeth closed on her plump lip and pulled it as he slipped his fingers inside her, "OHH!" she cried out at his pleasurable invasion.

He could feel his cock throbbing, trapped in his trousers. He was so hard it physically hurt.

Pulling his fingers from playing with her he unfastened his buckle and released himself from the material prison, groaning with an aching delight.

Her hand plunged between them and took hold of his thick cock, sliding her hand down his shaft and squeezing his base, "hell, yes" he gasped. His mind was lost to all sense, revelling in a feeling he had almost forgot…the feeling of someone else touching him.

He tugged her hands away as he felt a rush building, unsurprising considering how long it had been for him.

Their lips bit and kissed each other frantically, each desperate to be one.

His moist head met her keen entrance and he thrust up into her, driving in to the hilt. They cried out into each others greedy mouths as he pumped into her over and over, harder, faster.

There was no grace about his movements, pure lust and need for release drove him and he pounded her into the pillar. His hands squeezed her buttocks hard as his relentless rhythm pushed them closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy.

Her nails dug into his arms as she screamed out, gasping, "unhhhhhh, oh, fuck, YES!"

She tightened around his cock, pulsing as her orgasm swept through her and onto him, he buried himself and exploded with a torrent of pulses, emptying himself into her, jerking his hips into her trying to extend the rush of delight.

Her head rolled back and rested on the cool brick of the pillar, his forehead fell onto her heaving chest.

"Fuck, that was…" she panted, "just what I was after."

He lifted his head and looked at her long neck stretched out in front of him, he chuckled "oh, I'm not done with you yet" he swept his tongue across her skin as he pulled out of her.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow

He stood upright and carried her to the bed that held centre stage in the dim room.

He dropped her onto the soft bed and she giggled. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his remaining clothes. He leant over her on the bed and unfastened her skirt, she lifted her hips allowing him to pull it down her legs. He did so slowly, letting his fingers brush against her smooth skin. She squirmed under his teasing touch.

He discarded the skirt and stood over her, his cock twitching at the sight of her naked in front of him. He knelt on the bed and held himself over her, lowering his lips to kiss her immaculately toned stomach.

Each kiss he planted moved lower until he reached the top of her thigh. He ran his tongue across the sensitive skin there and nipped with his teeth, making her jerk.

She groaned and tugged at the bed sheets as his tongue delved into her and swept against her core, "yesssssss", her approval hissed from her clenched jaw.

He tormented her with his lips pressing against her nub, his tongue swirling around her core…he felt her shudder under his touch and drew away…

"No!" she pleaded, her eyes were wild as she looked at him, "don't- don't stop-" she panted. But he knelt up ignoring her pleas, "turn over" he ordered, his voice full of promise. She obeyed.

His hands ran up the back of her thighs and they both moaned in appreciation. On reaching her round buttocks he squeezed the flesh in his hands before biting down into the plumpness, she jerked her hips into the bed in reflex, "uh-uh" he chided and lifted her ass into the air, forcing her kneel up on all fours.

"That is a_ beautiful_ view" he knelt up behind her and ran his fingers down her spine from the nape of her neck to the cleft between her pert cheeks. She felt his erection between her legs and tried to squeeze him, but he giggled and spread her legs slightly, "no, _I'm_ in charge."

She whimpered as his chest pressed to her back and he fondled her breast, pulling at her nipple.

His other hand enveloped her wet heat and he circled his fingers around her entrance, denying her the satisfaction of them sliding into her, "oh, fuck- pleaaaase?" Her pleas were weak and desperate. She ground her hips into him but still he refused to slip inside her.

She balanced herself on a single hand and reached between her legs finding his balls, she cupped them and rolled them around in her gentle grip, "unghhh" he shuddered at her touch and his breath caught in his chest.

He righted himself forcing her to release him. He took hold of his hard shaft and ran his hand down himself, groaning loudly.

"Not fair…" she gasped hearing him pleasure himself.

He relented and pressed his cock against her ready entrance. He pushed his head into her gently, immediately pulling out again, "fucking tease" she spat in wanton desperation.

"Tease huh?" he smiled wickedly behind her back, "we'll see" and with that he drilled into her, gripping her hips hard as he buried himself in her.

Her cry of delight filled the room and he pumped into her over and over in slow but powerful movements.

Every thrust gleaned a loud pant from her, the sound spurred him on. He dug his fingers into her keeping her as steady as he could as he pumped into her harder.

"Fuck! Don-" she panted, her voice faltering, "don't stop, ohhhhhh!"

The tone of her voice was like fuel to his fire, she sounded desperate, needy, _hungry_ for him.

He pounded into her faster, feeling heady and fit to burst.

Every thrust fed his need, seeing her ass bounce against him, feeling his balls slap against her thighs, all overloading his senses, all bringing him closer to the edge.

He grabbed a handful of hair and tugged back on it, "ahh!" her head jolted back but she didn't complain, instead she screamed as he buried himself to his hilt and burst inside her, emptying himself in her once again.

He felt her quake around him as she fell into the waves of her orgasm, each of them pulsing against the other, trembling under the deep jolts of pleasure sparking in their core…

Her arms buckled under her and she whimpered when he fell out of her as she slunk down onto the bed, shivering from sensory overload.

He slumped down next to her shaking. He'd not expended that much energy in a very long time and his body was now rebelling.

He managed to pull a cover over them both before his body completely denied him any movement.

She turned her head to face him and smiled, " that was…" but she couldn't finish her sentence. "It was" he agreed and she chuckled as her eyes closed.

He turned away and closed his eyes, feeling spent and sated. Sleep came quickly and he slipped into blackness.

He bolted upright, sweating and shaking, searching the room for his lover.

Shepard. He looked to the empty spot in the bed next to him. Where was she?!

He stretched and closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples, calming his heartbeat. The visions of fire and explosions from his nightmare faded, turning into memories of the previous evening.

He could see Shepard's beautiful face clear as crystal in his mind…saw flashes of her flesh, heard groans of her satisfaction. He smiled to himself as he fell back onto the bed and buried his face in the pillow next to him.

His stomach knotted. The pillow…it smelt of perfume. Shepard _never_ wore perfume. She always smelt sweet like her body butter; vanilla and coconut.

He opened his eyes and sat up, scanning the room again. There was no sign of anyone else having been in the room with him. Looking around, he didn't recognize the room at all. He pulled the cover up around him suddenly feeling lost and vulnerable.

He didn't understand. He hitched his knees up and rested his elbows on them rubbing his hands through his hair, pulling back the memories of last night, searching for clues in the haze.

It all felt so real. He could still feel her skin under his fingers, still feel the pulse of her around him, still feel her hair gripped in his hands.

No. It hadn't been _her_ hair.

The hair in his mind was black. Shepard had radiant _red_ hair…

Then it hit him and his hands stopped, hovering in mid air. _Shepard_ hadn't been here. She hadn't been with him for a very long time.

The sickness churned in his stomach, he saw the door to the bathroom and ran, making it over the basin just in time.

He rinsed and washed his face with cold water. Looking into the mirror he shook violently.

He could barely admit to himself what he had done. He'd slept with a stranger. _A complete stranger_.

What had he been thinking?! Beginning to move on was one thing, but this?! It was _not_ who he was. He'd let his libido run away and fuck a complete stranger. The sickness threatened again.

He slumped onto the floor, dragging a robe with him and wrapping it around himself. Wracking sobs tore from him, his chest heaved and he buried his face in his hands.

Shepard's face flooded his mind, "I'm sorry…I'm _so sorry_…"

And in that moment he knew.

He_ knew_ he would never forgive himself for what happened here last night.

He _knew_ he would never move on; that he never_ wanted_ to move on. No-one could ever replace her, he was a fool to think he could get over her.

He would now, and for eternity, be completely in love with his lost Commander Shepard.


	2. Chapter 2

_*Her long black hair drags through his fingers as he pulls her head back. She sighs sweetly into the momentum of him thrusting into her over and over and over…*_

"Alenko!"

*_…his fingertips dig into the pink flesh of her thigh, keeping her steady, keeping her exactly where he wants her…where he needs her…*_

"Alenko!"

His fogged senses registered banging on the door but his eyes remained closed.

_*…groans fall from her lips with each thrust…she tightens around him...*_

"Yo! Alenko!"

"Goddammit! Go away Morgan!"

With the spell broken he shuffled uncomfortably under the sheets. His cock was throbbing hard in his pyjama pants, "just…great" he mumbled to himself.

Kaidan threw a pillow over his head to drown out the thumping. Then he realized it was in his head. He threw his arm out to his bedside table and fumbled around blindly. Something clanked to the floor and he cursed dragging his head up.

"Alenko, you got 20 minutes till the brief, what the hell man?!"

Fuck. Was it Thursday already?

"Yeah-" his voice cracked and he coughed. "I'm up, I'm up" he took a gulp of water from the glass on his bedside table, "I'm up…" he repeated to himself.

"Good. I can't cover for you on this K" there was a pause, "see you down there."

Kaidan heard footsteps pad away from his door and slumped down onto his pillow. The rude awakening from Morgan had killed his raging hard-on. A good thing considering he had a mission briefing in 20 minutes, he'd have needed a long cold shower to rid himself of _that _tension.

Anderson would bust his chops if he wasn't at the briefing. He downed the rest of the water and brought up his Omni-tool dosing himself with meds to kill the thump in his head. The migraines weren't being helped by his drinking, but the drinking was helping him numb his emotions. He shook his head, now was not the time to be pondering his downward spiral.

Dragging himself up he headed for the shower.

The hot water cascaded over him as he leant his forehead on the wall his mind churning over the lousy state he was in. This loop needed to break. Drinking every night and sleeping everyday had not been the best use of his shore leave. He sighed heavily.

"What happened?"

The question hung heavy in the air like the steam from the shower. He knew the answer. Miranda had happened. A one night stand with a stranger had happened.

He'd broken like a neck under a Krogan foot when he'd realized what he'd done. He'd beaten himself up about it for a week solid. An act his friends had described as "ridiculous and unwarranted."

They knew him though. They knew him well enough to understand that he needed space to deal with his emotions in his own time and in his own way. And for the most part he had.

He'd spent the couple of days after meeting Miri in a permanent state of inebriation. That is until his body rebelled and crashed on him.

Waking up with the mother of all migraines had given him something else to focus on other than the guilt churning in the pit of his stomach. And so he had continued his consumption of copious amounts of alcohol.

With each day the guilt faded slightly as the booze killed the memory for him. And instead of focusing on his remorse for belittling his memories of Shepard, his mind started to rebel and instead wanted to remember how good it had felt having someone so close to him again.

And then the dreams had begun. Or more like flashbacks. Images of Miri writhing under his touch tormented him in his sleep. He couldn't deny that he'd found her attractive, incredibly so. She had been bold, fiercely independent…and completely submissive to him.

He felt heat building in his groin as his mind wandered and reached up turning on the cold water. Now was not the time to be getting heated, he _had_ to be at that briefing.

In ten minutes he was dry and dressed and heading out of the door.

* * *

Three hours and a migraine later, Kaidan was back in his room. He slid his datapad onto the table and flopped back onto the bed. He pulled up his Omni to dose himself up on yet more painkillers. The briefing had been long and his recent lack of a decent nights sleep had not helped his attention span. He closed his eyes and soon he was fast asleep.

_*…his tongue licks lightly up her neck, he digs his teeth into her earlobe, she groans but doesn't stop him__…*_

Kaidan scrunched his face up, squirming on the bed sheets.

_*…his hands squeeze her buttocks hard as his relentless rhythm pushes them closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy…*_

Kaidan bolted upright, beads of sweat on his brow. Wiping his face he looked at the clock…11:50pm. There would be no more sleep for him tonight.

He slumped back onto the bed and sighed heavily. At least it was quiet and he had no headache.

Unprovoked, his mind wandered over recent events. His encounter with Miri had seriously messed with his state of mind. Just as he thought himself ready to put the memory of Shepard to rest it had come back to haunt him.

_Why? _It had been two years. She was gone. Nothing he could do would ever be changing that unpleasant fact.

It was all self punishment, he knew that. It was survivors guilt. Shepard would never have wanted him to mourn her. They had both known the risks and they had both taken the chance of happiness together fully aware that it was unlikely to have a happy ending.

She would be cursing him right now…telling him to nut up and let her go. A sad smile flashed across his features. More than _anything_, she would have wanted him to be happy.

Sighing deeply he got up and wandered into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He let the water run and padded back out to pour a drink.

He made himself a large brandy and gulped it down before turning the music player on; sweet chords of violins and pianos began to ring through his quarters. He didn't cope well with the loud music of the bars and clubs, but Bach he could listen to all day.

Kicking his boots off he stripped down and headed back to the steaming shower.

Resting his head against the tiles he closed his eyes and let the water run over him, the heat slowly seeping into his muscles. He pushed all thoughts out of his head and tried to simply exist for a moment. Just as Kaidan. No guilt. No sadness. Allowing the hot water to stream down his face, down his back, trying to relax…

_*…he stands flush against her back, his hands cupping the side of her breasts running down her sides, his hips push into her, crushing his now full erection against her buttocks…*_

His eyes flew open and he swallowed.

That's where his mind went when he relaxed?!

He let out a deep breath. He was full of pent up frustration; he had been since he'd met Miri. That night had opened a flood gate and now he couldn't close it. Two years without another's touch hadn't seemed that bad…until she had touched him.

He closed his eyes and let his mind take him back to that night…

_*…their lips meet in deep, desperate kisses and her legs wrap tightly around him. Her hands run over his muscular shoulders, nails digging into him, pulling him closer…*_

He felt himself twitch and a burning inside him spread to his groin…

_*…he hungrily sucks at her nipple, kneading her buttocks as he holds her in place. Her fingers rake up his back into his hair and knot together…*_

He wrapped his hand around himself and squeezed gently…a groan fell from his lips and he bit down as he started to move up and down his own hard length…

_*…his moist head meets her keen entrance and he thrusts up into her, driving in to the hilt. They cry out into each others greedy mouths…*_

The images of Miri writhing under his touch attacked his senses…bringing back the scent of her hair…her perfume…the wondrous groans of pleasure he elicited from her as he took her against the wall…

_*…pure lust and need for release drives him and he pounds her into the pillar…her nails dig into his arms as she screams out…*_

His grip on himself tightened as he fell deeper into the pleasurable memories…

_*…she tightens around his cock, pulsing as her orgasm sweeps through her and onto him, he buries himself and explodes with a torrent of pulses he empties himself into her…*_

He didn't need to work himself any faster, he was there at the brink. His pleasure abruptly burst from him and he moaned heavily into the steam…

He stood under the water, letting it wash away the evidence of his lust.

Physically he felt marginally better; relaxed; sated almost. Mentally, a moment of guilt passed over him but then it was gone.

It was as if allowing himself to remember that night with Miri had subconsciously hit a switch in himself. They weren't simply dirty dreams this time; he'd let his mind take all the good memories and bring them to the forefront…and he had acted on them…and he had enjoyed it.

He actually felt something other than guilt and frustration. He felt a new emotion, or and old one that was resurfacing.

He felt attraction.

He knew that rubbing himself in the shower wasn't going to be enough for him either. Not know he'd admitted his lust. He had to see her again. How, he didn't know yet. If she even wanted to see him again was also a potential issue. But he had to try. He had to break this spell of self pity and mourning. And right now, he believed Miranda held the key to moving on.


	3. Chapter 3

He sat and stared at the console in front of him, his mind tired and empty, watching but not assimilating any of the contents scrolling down the screen.

The past several weeks had been a gruelling whirlwind of physical checks and getting back into a strict training regimen. His body had felt weak and battered the first several days or so, but now his muscles had tightened back to their once honed condition.

His head had been crammed full of engineering tech babble and alignment coding at so many seminars he'd lost count. Whatever he was being sent into was a big deal; he hadn't been as heavily drilled since he'd first been assigned to the Normandy.

It had to be a classified mission. Kaidan knew the signs well enough by now. No-one had seen an official mission log; no-one had been given any environmental or geographical details and Anderson was notably absent from all meetings.

Whatever the circumstances of the mission, it had been a welcome and timely diversion from the spiral he'd been stuck in. His days of drinking himself numb had gone. His mind was focused on his job again.

Most of the time.

Of course, he still dreamt of LawBringer; the dark haired beauty he'd shared a lust fuelled evening with, but his budding obsession had calmed and taken a back seat to his duties.

He kept telling himself it was a good thing; that he had been behaving more like a testosterone fuelled teen than an Alliance Marine.

But there were still moments, late at night, in the dark silence of his quarters. Or quiet instances when his body craved release, then, his mind receded back to that night. Those were times when his subconscious would reach out for the memory of the strangers alabaster skin against his, the feel of her soft hair running through his fingers, the sensation of their shared heat and desire.

His guilt over his dreams and lust for LB had abated dramatically. No longer did he see Shepard's face frowning back from the mirrors reflection, disappointed at him for not mourning her. No. Something had severed in his mind. Now he saw himself in the mirror; alone, recluse and tired of fighting his own emotions. There appeared to be no way of pursuing anything with LB, and he had accepted that. But at least he now knew he could move on from Shepard without an insane guilt trip and days spent in drunken stupors.

Kaidan sat up and stretched his arms out before shutting down the console. He wasn't taking in any of the intel, it was late and his brain had switched off.

"I'll catch up with you tomorrow Morgan, I'm headed out" he addressed the tall Marine sat at the table next to his.

"Time to hit the hay?" Morgan replied.

"Not just yet, think I'm gonna go and do a few lengths of the pool, de-stress a little"

"You know, ordinary guys go to the bar to do that K" Morgan chuckled, shaking his head.

"Ahh, well, you know me better than that" Kaidan smiled and casually saluted as he left.

Kaidan entered the elevator and hit the button for the Alliance Training Centre, he turned to face the doors as they closed, and just for a fleeting second he saw…her.

He did a double take, eager to clarify what he thought he had seen, but the doors closed and the elevator descended taking his view of the Presidium and the dark haired woman away.

Had it been her? Had it been LB?

No, surely not. He had looked for her; he'd chased every lead he could find.

About a week after their encounter he had tried to contact her through the extranet agency his friends had used. But they understandably had confidentiality clauses set up to protect their clients from "unwanted attentions or dangerous encounters" and he had hit wall after wall. Even the clerk at the hotel she'd been staying at had no recollection of her. It seemed that she had disappeared.

The woman had certainly looked like her. She had been dressed in some kind of uniform and her hair was pinned away from her face…but he was sure…

But it was also late. His mind was most likely playing tricks on him. He'd had a particularly vivid dream of her the night before and he deduced that his subconscious was simply eager for him shut his eyes so the dream could continue.

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

He chuckled to himself at the absurdity of it all. He was a Marine; an N7 soldier, working for the Alliance and he'd lost his head over a one night stand! Prolonged grief mixed with testosterone had been a potent mixture.

The elevator stopped and he exited into the empty foyer of the ATC. Wandering through to the changing rooms his mind kept involuntarily replaying LB strutting along the Presidium…

"Give it up Alenko, you're tired." he sighed to himself opening his locker. Shepard's face beamed out at him. He pulled the picture of the Normandy crew off the back of his locker door.

"Would'ya look at me Jin, I'm a mess without you huh?" he smiled briefly and stuck the picture back before he got emotional. He'd been coping a lot better recently and didn't want to take any steps back.

He reminded himself why he was there and changed into his trunks.

The pool was empty and still at this time of night, just the way he liked it. After a few stretches to limber up, he swiftly climbed to the top diving board, stretched out and jumped.

The water barely rippled as he plummeted sleekly into the warm depths. He surfaced a few meters down the pool before continuing the length in a flawless freestyle. For the most part his mind remained empty, simply enjoying the quiet and freedom that his surroundings afforded.

After a while his body started to rebel and muscles began to tighten up with tiredness. It had been a long day and fatigue was creeping up on him.  
He swam over to the side of the pool and hauled himself out allowing himself a moment to stretch out his limbs before padding over to the showers. The cool water ran over his face and he closed his eyes.

Her face flashed in his mind and he sighed. Too tired to fight his body's urges and secretly enjoying the images his mind was replaying he let his memory track back to the glimpse of LB he'd had.

Or thought he'd had.

It had most likely been someone that resembled her but that was apparently all it took to fuel his desire. Instead of believing the dark haired woman he'd briefly glimpsed had indeed been the object of his dreams, he instead steered his mind back to their night of passion…before remembering he wasn't in his personal quarters. He was in the shower room in the ATC, not a place for such thoughts.

After drying off in the body heater he dressed and exited the locker room.

Waiting for the elevator he wondered about her; the raven haired, fiery woman that had ignited his base urges all those weeks ago. He wondered if she ever thought of him or recalled their night together. Obviously not he thought, she could have easily contacted him through the agency if she had wanted to. Great, now he felt horny…and rejected.

The elevator doors swept open and he stepped inside punching the button for the Presidium. He closed his eyes and leant back against the wall. Another elevator ride after this and he'd be back in the Alliance living quarters; back in his own space where he could relax and let his imaginings take over. They were like a fire in his stomach after seeing the mirage of LB…

Feeling the inertia of the ascent slow he opened his eyes, he hadn't reached his floor yet, the elevator was stopping for more passengers. He stood upright as the doors slid open and looked up.

His breath hitched as his eyes took in the figure before him. She was dressed in a fitted black pant suit. Her lips were as luscious and pink as they had been when he'd kissed them. She looked back at him from under her long dark lashes, recognition dawning on her features.

"LT?" Her smooth Australian accent licked at his senses.

It was her. It was LawBringer.


	4. Chapter 4

She paced back and forth, impatient for the arrival of her contact. Where was he? She disliked tardiness, especially in a place as public as this. It was only a matter of time until she was thought suspicious. She was considering leaving when a Volus in a mottled green enviro-suit hurriedly approached her.

"Ms Gold?"

"About time!"

"My apologies ma'am, there was an incident-"

"I don't care Von. Do you have it?" she motioned for him to follow her to a secluded alcove.

Barla Von croaked through his voice plate as he plodded behind her, "yes."

He grudgingly held a data pad up for her, but did not release it when she grasped it. "I'm sure I don't know why this is so important, whatever you are using it for-"

"Is none of your business Von"

She pulled the datapad from his balled hand and scanned it.

"Shit" she shook her head and pocketed the datapad.

"Ahh now I see. He's still looking for her isn't he?" Barla Von asked smugly.

"Yes" her curt response wiped the smirk from his face, "but how would you know that? You're merely an agent."

"Ms Gold, please, I trade information. When someone requests such a simple item as a ship's log, I know there's more to it than meets the eye. I simply…read between the lines, so to speak."

"Listen Von" she leant down to level with his face, "one word and the Broker will gain some very interesting information on one of his agents. Do we understand each other?"

Von's voice plate crackled but no words came out, he simply bowed in confirmation. He knew the consequences of crossing the Broker, even over something as minor as a ship log. He was running a great risk, but the Illusive man had known his weakness. Credits. A lot of credits.

"If we are done here-"

"We're done" she spun on her heels and disappeared into the throng of shoppers.

The hotel room door clicked shut and Miranda pulled the datapad from her pocket. She walked over to the closet and removed a plain black case. Placing the datapad inside she pulled up her Omni-tool and punched in a security code locking the case with a snick.

Scrolling through her itinerary she took note of the time and closed her Omni. She had one more appointment then she'd be leaving the Citadel; heading back to Lazarus Station and the familiar surroundings of her lab.

She pulled the zip of her boots down and kicked them off before unfastening her jumpsuit. Shrugging out of it she pushed the glossy material down her thighs. Her next appointment was with Alliance HR, a change in appearance was needed.

The suit fell to floor and she deftly stepped out of it before padding back to the closet. A single black, military-approved pant suit hung inside. Taking it down she dressed, pairing it with a simple fitted Alliance blue tunic top and her sleek black boots.

Standing in front of the mirror she pinned her long black locks away from her face in an arrangement that would pass for an officer. Fixing the Alliance insignia to the breast of her jacket, she checked her reflection and nodded approvingly, she would easily pass for a desk jockey of the Alliance.

"Staff Lieutenant Janeway, at your service."

She pulled up her Omni and switched her ID setting to match the name she was reciting in her head.

She had another swift look over herself before picking up the black case holding the datapad and exiting the room.

For the second time that day she found herself waiting. Only this time she was sat in a reception area waiting to see a supervising HR officer for the Alliance. All she had to do was get in the office and upload a leech program from her Omni onto the terminal in there. A simple enough task for her.

The waiting was annoying her. Not because of the tardiness issue, more because there was a real chance of seeing someone who knew her face here in Alliance HQ.

Their meeting had been weeks ago now but his face was etched into her memory.

LT.

The Alliance soldier that had intruded on her dreams more than once, much to her annoyance. They had shared one night of intense heat and sex, nothing more. She'd known it had been a mistake even then; arranging to meet someone on the Citadel was a great security risk, and the fact that he was a soldier?! But, she had done it anyway. Why? Oh, to sate her needs, nothing more.

And sate them he had…he'd been so dominant and fiercely insatiable. A vast change to the men she had known in the past. His wandering into her dreams had indeed been an unwelcome, but when she thought about that night, she knew why he'd stuck in her memory.

She refused to let herself recall that night though. It was a distraction. She did not want, or need, a man. She had simply needed a release, and she had gotten it.

She had fumed at herself on the taxi ride the morning after their tryst. She may be genetically perfect but she still had basic human weaknesses. She'd later contacted the agency telling them, in no uncertain terms, that she was terminating her account with them and wished no further contact with them or their clients.  
She knew how important her work was, she'd sacrificed a part of her life for it, she could not afford anything that may potentially jeopardise her years of hard work. If the Illusive man found out that she may have compromised her position on the Citadel…

"Lieutenant Janeway?"

The sharp voice of a petite blonde lady brought her back to the present.

"Sorry, yes. Staff Commander Mulgrew isn't it?" Miranda stood and shook hands with the uniformed officer.

"It is. Please, this way"

The Commander escorted Miranda through to her office, motioning for her to take a seat at her desk.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, my time here is extremely limited, it's appreciated" she flashed a smile.

"That's not a problem Lieutenant. However, the information you requested has changed status and I'm afraid to tell you-"

"Ma'am! Could you come out for a second please?"

A panicked voice came though the Comm console on the Commanders desk and interrupted her. "I apologise" clearly annoyed at her subordinates intrusion, "what is it May?"

"We have a slight situation with the power out here. It's- it's offline ma'am."

"What? What do you mean off-. Never mind. I'll be just a second." Commander Mulgrew turned back to Miranda, "I'm sorry, my assistant is new and clearly she needs more training. I won't be a moment"

Miranda flashed her a bright smile that reassured the Commander and she left her office.

Miranda smirked, "Nicely done, May…"

Unbeknownst to the Alliance, May Cochrane and a number of other staff members, were in fact agents for the Illusive man, all strategically placed to assist Miranda and her team with the Lazarus project.

She brought up her Omni and accessed the leech. Moving quickly she linked up with the console on the Commanders desk and uploaded the program. This little piece of genius was going to give her off site access to Alliance staff records, until it was detected of course, but by then she would have the information she required.

Several minutes later Commander Mulgrew returned to find her guest leafing through a fashion magazine, as casual as anything.

"Sorry Lieutenant. Where was I?" she sat back down behind her desk, "ah, yes, the information you requested. I'm afraid that Admiral Anderson has changed the status of the mission and all personnel involved. It's now classified and I'm afraid…" she trailed off and tilted her head as if that was a suitable way of saying 'your rank doesn't cover it'.

Miranda ignored her inner annoyance at Commander's patronising tone. "Oh, I see. That's unexpected. I'll have to inform my superiors, they'll need to review their options. I see I'm wasting your time. Thank you, Commander."

She stood and held out her hand, which Mulgrew shook, nodded and swept out of the office. As she passed May at the reception desk, she gave no indication that they knew each other and marched straight out.

Checking her surroundings, she ducked into the women's rest room and locked herself in a cubicle. She accessed her Omni and ran a diagnostic to ensure that the leech had been accepted into the Alliances system with no glitches. It had.

Opening a secure line to another agent she spoke quickly and quietly "Taylor, you copy?"

"I'm here"

"Good, I'm DL-ing the intel to you now. Confirm" her fingers played across the Omni.

"What? This is off plan boss, is this line secure enough?"

"You doubt me Jacob?" she teased, "it's secure enough, don't worry, just confirm"

"Yeah, boss. It's patched up now, go ahead. With the added security protocols, you know this'll take a few, you safe?"

"Now you're worried about me? Jacob, I'm touched" both operatives sniggered, "I'm locked in a bathroom cubicle, no-one's disturbing me in here"

"Fair enough. You have the names?"

"Please. Do I have the names…" she muttered, shaking her head at her subordinates ridiculous question. Finding the intel she required from the Alliance database she began the transfer and waited.

Several minutes later Jacobs voice crackled, "OK, boss, transfer complete. It bounced off so many relays they'll never track it. You're good to go"

"Excellent. Check it for any corrupted files before I break the link"

"K…none. It's all good. You want it accessed now, or is this another job that only you can do?"

"Ah, Jacob, you know me so well. Head back to Lazarus and have it transferred to my station. I'll follow on."

"Aye boss, keep safe" and with that the comms channel cut out.

Miranda pulled off the Alliance insignia and removed her Lieutenants stripes from the jackets cuffs, stuffing them into the bin as she left the bathroom.  
As she walked to the elevator, she pulled up her Omni and changed her ID settings back to her usual Citadel alias; Ms Natasha White, a team leader for a medical supply company.

She pressed the call button and sighed, rolling her shoulders. It had been a long day, maybe she'd sleep at the hotel and head back to base in the morning.

The elevator door opened with a mechanical sigh.

Sweeping a loose tendril of hair away from her face she spotted the sole occupant of the elevator cabin. A tumble of words fell in her head…shit, crap and oh my, being at the forefront.

She had just walked into the one man she thought she'd avoided. The one man who could potentially turn her attention.

"LT?"


End file.
